Bridging Neuro-Immune System and Gut Microbiota in Neuropsychiatric Disorders

In the last decade, increasing preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that the microbiota-gut-brain axis is involved in the occurrence and development of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, major depression, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and schizophrenia. Gut microbiota communicates with the nervous system by regulating the neuro-immune system. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota and its metabolites play a crucial role in the metabolism of neurotransmitters, who are key players in neuro-immune. The imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the nervous system is linked to the occurrence and development of neurological diseases. For example, serotonin is a neurotransmitter and plays important regulatory roles in various neurological processes such as anxiety, cognition, memory, and mood. Studies have found that elevated concentrations of gut microbial metabolites from spore-forming bacteria increase colon and blood serotonin (5-HT) in the host. Another example is that the gut microbiota related alteration of glutamate metabolism has been revealed in schizophrenia. Therefore, studying the involvement of gut microbiota in the regulation of the neuro-immune system will help us to understand the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatry disorders and provide further insights for developing novel diagnosis and treatment methods in neuropsychiatric disorders.

This Research Topic wants to provide a comprehensive overview of how the gut microbiota regulates the neuro-immune system in neuropsychiatric disorders. In this Research Topic, we welcome all submissions, including original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses. We also welcome clinical and pre-clinical studies as well as basic research in humans and/or animals.

1) Molecular mechanisms involved in the crosstalk between gut microbiota and neurotransmitters in neuropsychiatric diseases.
2) Modulation of immune function by gut microbiota in patients or animal models with neurological and psychiatric diseases.
3) Disease mechanism and therapeutic approaches targeting blood-brain barrier integrity, neuron-glia crosstalk, glia-vessel interaction, the gut-brain axis for neuropsychiatric disorders.
4) Novel genetic, protein (cytokines, signal molecules), and metabolites markers (biomarkers) involved in the onset, progression, and clinical manifestation of neuropsychiatric disorders.